Game Information

Date: Thursday, Feb. 20, Friday, Feb. 21 & Saturday, Feb. 22 (if necessary)
Time: 9:00 p.m.
Location: Edmonton, Alta.
Venue: Saville Community Sports Centre
Watch: Canadawest.tv
 
SASKATOON – For the first time since the 2001-02 Canada West campaign, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies are playoff-bound.
 
The sixth-seed Huskies will begin their chase towards postseason success this weekend in Edmonton, as they take on the third-seed Alberta Pandas in a best-of-three quarter-final series.
 
It's been a resurgent season for Saskatchewan, who clinched only their third postseason appearance of the century. Huskies head coach Mark Dodds has improved his team's record over the past three seasons, before helping the program get over the playoff hump in 2019-20.
 
Saskatchewan will be rolling into the postseason on a high, after taking down the Manitoba Bisons in back-to-back 3-1 wins on the final weekend of regular-season action in Winnipeg.
 
A pair of fifth-year athletes in Brooke Listwin and Taylor Annala, who have combined to spend a total of 11 years with the program, will play in the first playoff contests of their career this weekend. Listwin and Annala will be looking to extend their careers in the green and white by another week with a pair of wins this weekend in Edmonton.
 
Meanwhile, Alberta is on a hot streak of their own, as they enter the weekend as the sixth-ranked program in the country, riding a nine-game win-streak after finishing the regular season with an 18-6 record.
 
The Pandas have received tremendous production from their upperclassmen this season, especially Kory White. The fourth-year outside hitter finished the season atop of the Canada West with 406 kills, which is good enough for third in the conference's single-season record books. Slowing down White's efficiency at the net will be imperative for the Huskies this weekend, as they look to head on the road and pull off the upset.
 
Saskatchewan will be looking to improve on their performance in their last pair of matches, which seen Alberta storm into Saskatoon and come away with two wins at the PAC over their conference foe.
 
5 Things
 
1: Saskatchewan finished the 2019-20 regular season with their best regular-season record since the 2001-02 season, which was the last time the program recorded a quarter-final series win.
 
2: The Huskies continue to be led by Emily Koshinsky, who, after setting the Huskies single-season program record with 316 kills last season, broke her own record in 2019-20, totalling 327 kills.
 
3: Alberta has just one loss in the 2020 calendar year, with their last defeat coming back on Jan. 17 to crosstown rival MacEwan. 
 
4: The Pandas, who were bounced in the conference semifinals last season, are looking to make it back to the U SPORTS national championship for the first time since 2017-18, where they lost in the national final to Ryerson in a four-set classic.
 
5: While Alberta has controlled the rivalry between the pair of conference foes in recent memory, Saskatchewan does have past success in Edmonton against the program, winning 3-1 (25-23, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23) back on Jan. 25, 2019.